Jo lives in a small town in southern Japan. She lives with her two children and Japanese husband and is learning more everyday about the world of Japanese agriculture and culture.

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Spring Bounty

Things are starting to take off in the garden again (including many, many weeds....), and the harvest for the spring season usually starts with two of my favorites - asparagus and chammomile. Of course I don't use them together, but both share the trait of tasting sooooo good when they are first picked and deteriorating in flavour as the days pass - all the better reason to use them as soon as you pick them! I have asparagus planted both inside the tunnel house and outside, and I am always interested that despite the large temperature difference between the two places they both usually start producing at about the same time of the year. The asparagus in the tunnel house receives no water and as a result (???) is much juicier and sweeter - although both outstrip store bought asparagus by far!

I have chammomile everywhere.... it self seeds and pops up literally all over the garden. The kids have started picking it for me in return for a small amount of pocket money.... another excuse to get them out into the sunshine!